Pushing The Dubstep Envelope: Bassnectar’s Wildstyle

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Bay Area based DJ and producer Bassnectar’s 12th bundle of released music dropped at around 10:30pm PT last Monday, and that first listen definitely hampered my ability to sleep for the rest of the night.

The EP is called Wildstyle, and after the first couple seconds you’ll know why. Just like the graffiti genre, these songs are packed full of original style that pulls from every which direction and arranges it in a way that is clean and impressive.

We get some of those heady, atmospheric bass waves that we love and are so essential to Bassnectar’s sound in the latter part of the album, in tracks like “Fun with Synthesizers,” with its signature cuts of children’s laughter and the deep and drawn out “Underwater,” which features soft, operatic female vocals over a gritty layers of heavy and low subwoofer grumbles.

There’s even some experimentation going on, which really shows on the track “Falling.” With a clean guitar riff and Damon Albarn rip off vocals, it really sounds like it could be a Gorillaz song, that is, until a nice twirl of bass kicks in and pushes the song along into something that is truly Bassnectar.

I’d say the title of the album spawns from a few key tracks. They are truly wild and really push the dubstep envelope at a time when it really seems to be standing still. Songs like “The 808 Track,” “Hot Right Now” (an Amp Live remix which features The Grouch) and of course “Wildstyle Method” are laced with hiphop and sweat from club dance floors. They’re all bouncy, up beat, and catchy.

Maybe a little too catchy for some old school Bassnectar fans, but personally, I’m a huge fan. They’re not gimmicky and cheap. They can appeal to a lot of people, but at the same time are truly recognizable and authentic. Not to mention grimy as hell.

I’m giving the Wildstyle EP a 8/10. My only complaint are some parts sound too borrowed from his other songs. At the same time though, I understand he probably didn’t want to alienate older fans who have been following him since he started playing Burning Man.

Watch the official Wildstyle Method music video above to catch clips of what the experience is like, and don’t forget to pick up the ep where ever you can or buy it off bassnectar.net. Help support real, good, local music. I bought the deluxe edition which cost me over $40 with shipping and all that jazz, and I don’t regret it one bit.

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